


bloody city

by CanIHaveAHug



Category: One Piece
Genre: (From outer perspective), Amnesia, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slavery, Tags May Change, Violence, allegedly clever characters being written by an idiot, well this is one piece- its kinda a given but whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-06-28 09:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15704292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanIHaveAHug/pseuds/CanIHaveAHug
Summary: The Tenryuubito were considered throughout the world as veritable gods.To eventhinkof attacking one of them was an idea belonging to only the greatest of fools...Sabo is no fool, so instead he does the world one better:he kills one of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Major character death is still undecided, i'm leaving the warning there in case i go through with it.  
> mild gore at the end.  
> Also, this is one of my first times seriously writing in past tense, so let me know if it sounds weird in places. Seriously, i wrote one section at like, 2 in the afternoon on one day, and then another at 3 in the morning so there's probably some discrepancies i missed here and there.

“Did you hear the news?”

The gruffer man nodded, scratching his bristly beard which did little to conceal the anxious grimace twisting his face. “Yeah. It’s still kind of unbelievable… I never imagined they would come to _our_ island. We’re so small and all...”

The first speaker nodded in understanding, and sitting a few tables away a young man tilted his head in interest, his companion slowing as well as she sipped from her mug.

“I told my daughter to take a few days off from working the counter while they’re here,” the older man continued nervously. “They probably won’t even step inside our shop, but… I don’t wanna take any chances, you know?”

The other diner hummed his sympathy. “That’s a good idea. I heard they like pretty ones. Pick up new wives just after looking at them for a couple seconds.”

The bearded man shuddered. “I was more worried about them stealing her as a slave, but…”

“It’s pretty much one and the same, yeah?” His friend sighed, taking a gulp from his tankard.

Their young eavesdropper peered up from beneath the brim of his top hat, pitying the tone of resignation he heard in the man’s words. Then he frowned as he glanced sideways and caught the fierce, faraway look that had entered his partner’s eyes, as well as the white-knuckled grip around her drink.

“Koala,” he murmured, setting gloved fingers on her forearm gently.

He felt his partner twitch under his touch, her lips thinned as she met his gaze. When she saw the sympathy in his eyes though, the deep pools of blue that promised she was not alone but still full of warning, she sighed, tension melting from her spine.

“I’m fine,” she whispered into her cup.

Sabo pulled away, and returned to nursing his drink and his own nerves with a carefully measured breath. It was odd to be the voice of reason between the two of them, but such was what the situation called for. They both knew of whom the two men spoke so fearfully, of whom the whole island had been in a tizzy for the last few days preparing to receive.

The Tenryuubito. The source, model, and symbol for all corruption in the world as well as everything that the Revolutionaries sought to defeat.

And to this island town... undisputed gods.

The blond scowled, beginning to taste something sour in the back of his throat, and he downed the rest of his drink in a single go, hoping the sweet, spiced tea could wash out the taste of rage and loathing on his tongue.

Sabo didn’t have a personal grudge against the Celestial Dragons, not like Koala did. (Or if he actually did _,_ he couldn’t remember why.) But after eight years with the Revolutionary Army, of finding and learning and overthrowing the corrupt, he’d developed a sharp nose for the stench of cruelty and greed, and he didn’t need direct suffering at the Tenryuubito’s hands to smell it wafting off them like spoiled fish.

But how much worse do they smell, Sabo mused darkly, in person rather than just from stories?

They’d be arriving in only a few days. He could find out, if he wanted to.

But then, Hack would hate it. Koala might go along, depending on how he presented the idea, but Hack was a protective mother-hen even though Sabo could kick his scaly butt all the way across the Calm Belt, and the fishman could fuss like nobody’s business.

Still, Sabo wondered if he should try sticking around anyway. Sure, he didn’t have any concrete ideas of what he’d be doing or how he could possibly defend everyone in town from a volatile menace, but… it felt like a responsibility to stay.

He was a Revolutionary, after all. And as a Revolutionary—hell, as a _decent person_ —turning his back on an inevitable tragedy waiting to happen felt like a betrayal of his values.

Sabo sighed as he set down his emptied cup. His team’s extraction was scheduled for tomorrow morning. As mission leader, he _technically_ had the authority to prolong their mission and order that the team stay on the island as he wished- but not at the expense of their other duties, and he knew for a fact that their team had other missions lined up after this one.

He decided he would consult mission base on this later. Surely the activities of a Tenryuubito were at least worth keeping watch over?

Sabo rose from his seat. “Ready to go?” He asked, pulling on his gloves.

Koala nodded in affirmation, following suit and leaving several bills behind on the table as they exited. They’d already finished collecting intel from the bartender a while ago, and Sabo didn’t feel the need to check that Koala hadn’t lost their notes in the hour they had taken for dinner.

Then just as Sabo was pushing open the door, a man shoved him aside and barreled into the restaurant with eyes blown wide with panic. “T-They’re here!”

The hum of conversation immediately faltered. Startled diners turned to regard the newcomer with confusion, and Sabo, quirking his brow, glanced at Koala who in turn only shrugged in response.

Their lack of reaction seemed to incense the man, and Sabo felt something in his gut tighten a split second before the man spoke again, flailing his arms wildly. “The- they- the _Tenryuubito!_ ”

Koala stiffened.

“They’re _here!”_ The man screamed again, the urgency in his voice finally making sense and sweeping through the room like an airborne infection. “The Tenryuubito are _here!_ The watchmen saw them, they’re about to reach docking!”

In an instant, chair legs were screeching across the tiled floor in a chaotic cacophony as patrons shot up from their seats and knocked into their tables in a frantic, frazzled energy.

“The Tenryuubito?!”

“They weren’t supposed to get here ‘til days from now!”

“Shit, we don’t have the welcoming ceremony ready!”

“Saint Wales will be so angry with us!!”

Koala met Sabo’s eyes, and he nodded tersely in agreement. _Time to leave._

With a discretion learned from years of stealth missions, Sabo and Koala slipped out the door and into the streets, practically invisible. It helped that there was a frenetic flow to most of the pedestrians right then, the bustle of townsfolk hurrying to speed up the reception for the Tenryuubito’s ship creating a chaos that the two Revolutionaries easily took advantage of.

Somehow, Sabo thought, they were all a bit like ants. Ants spilling out of their home because a giant foot has knocked down their ant hill with one careless sweep.

A brief wince flashed onto his face then, followed by a tick of shame. It was a bit of a cruel comparison, and he knew better than to condescend victims of a system like that.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, Sabo flopped onto the couch in their hotel room, loosening his cravat with agitated fingers and letting his beloved top hat topple to the floor gracelessly. “They’re so early,” he murmured, mostly to himself. “Odd… I wonder what’s up with that…?”

Koala offered up nothing in reply, silently crossing the room with her leather gloves tossed upon the bed. Coming up to the window, Sabo could see the stony discontent in her reflection, as well as how her fingers clenched a fist around each curtain and how her eyes were thrown into shadow by gossamer moonlight and the brim of her newsboy cap.

Her tension spoke louder than her silence, and despite himself, Sabo huffed into the dim room with amusement. “You want to do something about them too, hm?”

Koala pursed her lips. “It’s a bad idea,” she said, reluctance undermining her words.

Sabo simply grinned, undeterred. “Only if it doesn’t work out.”

His partner turned, pinning him with a glare but it was a weak thing, more habitual than a true reprimand. “You say that about every bad idea.”

“And have I been wrong yet?”

Koala scoffed, crossing her arms as she faced the window again. For a moment it seemed like she wouldn’t reply, and Sabo opened his mouth to tease her again when his words caught in his throat, startled by a subtle change in atmosphere. There was a furrow in Koala’s brow now, a conflict in her eyes that brought an element of near fragility to her face. A slender hand crept up to the opposite shoulder to clench a spot high on her back and Sabo’s eyes widened in recognition as she finally spoke, her voice was low with bitterness.

“It’s too risky, Sabo,” Koala said, eyes lost and entrenched in years past. “The Tenryuubito… they’re not like the rest of the nobles and kings we’ve dealt with before. They’re- _beyond_ royalty, in terms of authority, in resources, in power. They’re- We can’t- I won’t _let_ -!” Koala sucked in a breath, biting her lip, and then exhaled heavily.

The beat of silence weighed heavily on them both and Sabo felt his eyes narrow. Coming to a decision, Sabo got to his feet with lazy grace and joined his partner in front of the window. The ocean shuddered in the distance, meeting the spanning shoreline in a soothing back-n-forth behind a loose matrix of buildings and courtyards and gardens. A grand, gleaming ship boasting the World Government flag was just landing, witnessed by moon, stars, and all the humble, fearful residents of Yujo island.

“That’ll be a ‘no’ to trying to pop their head bubbles, then,” Sabo surmised, nonchalantly clasping his hands behind his back. “That’s a pity. It could’ve been funny.”

Koala didn’t even blink an eye at his needling remark, and he regarded her carefully, eye drifting over the spot on her back that he knew hosted the Sun Pirates mark and beneath it, her former slave brand.

He hesitated for only a moment before saying, with the gentle but firm determination it deserved, “I’d protect you.” Koala looked back at him, seeming startled, and he elaborated, tilting his head at her back. “I would never let them take you again.”

Koala softened. “I know you wouldn't. And that’s why I have to protect you too. By making sure you don’t need to.”

Sabo smirked. “Aren’t I the mission leader here?”

“Sure,” Koala shrugged. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Fair enough.

Sabo reached over and tugged the heavy curtains shut, entombing the room in darkness. “You don’t have to worry—we’re only here until tomorrow morning,”’ he promised with only a slight twinge of regret for the citizens of Yujo. “Call Hack though; it’s about time to make our report.”

Koala nodded and began digging through her sleeves as she walked off. Sabo went to pick up his top hat from the couch and had just clicked on a lamp when Koala set down their notes on a table and dialed their private denden mushi.

_“Update.”_

Adopting a business-like countenance, Koala relayed all the information needed quickly and efficiently, Sabo listening in beside her in an absent-minded silence.

Ironically, his silence did not go unnoticed.

 _“Good work, Koala, as always.”_ The pride in Hack’s tone was blatant and shameless, and Sabo rolled his eyes. _“Is Sabo with you though?_ ”

“Right here,” the man in question answered with a useless wave at the denden.

 _“I thought so_ ,” Hack hummed. _“You’ve been strangely quiet. Nothing to add to the report, leader?_ ”

Sabo paused. “Did Koala mention the Tenryuubito visitors already?”

Koala deadpanned at the blond. “You weren’t paying attention to the conversation at all, were you?”

Hack sighed with a familiar exasperation. “ _She explained the situation, yes_. _Saint Wales and Mauve, wasn’t it? It’s certainly an unpleasant surprise, but it shouldn’t affect us.”_

“Our rendezvous plans are unchanged then?”

 _“Yes. The Tenryuubito probably won’t be spending much time close to their ship, so there should be no problem with docking. The submarine is making good time too, so_ -”

“That’s good,” Sabo cut in, mind already moving on to his next question. “Could you contact mission base, by the way? I wanted to propose a-”

“STOP INTERRUPTING PEOPLE!” Koala yowled, whopping Sabo on the head.

“Ow, what?” Sabo pouted, rubbing the egg-sized bump on his skull resentfully. “He said there was no problems with docking and that he’d be here on time, what else do I need to hear?”

“A, it’s rude; and B, you could miss important information, not just the stuff that’s relevant to _you!”_ Koala scolded.

“If it’s actually important, he’ll stop me and say that it is,” Sabo argued, “right, Hack?”

For a moment their third teammate did not answer. Then, mournfully, _“I weep for the day you’re promoted to a higher rank.”_

Sabo blinked at the non sequitur. It was true that among the higher echelons of the army he was considered a shoo-in for one of the positions of Commander and by some whispers, even Chief of Staff, but he had no idea what that had to do with the current conversation. Though from the look on Koala’s face, she did.

 _“But nevermind that,”_ Hack said. _“You wanted to know if mission base said they were going to do anything in regards to the Tenryuubito’s arrival, yes? I haven’t heard anything yet, sorry. Though I’ll be letting them know that the Tenryuubito are early after this call is done, so I’ll tell you if their answer has changed then.”_

The blond frowned, but then waved it off. “Alright, thanks. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

_“Ah, yes, goodnight to y-”_

This time Sabo dodged the swift kick coming at his face, barely managing to keep his shit-eating grin from surfacing.

“Dammit, Sabo, what did I _just say?!_ ”

He failed. The shit-eating grin appeared in all its glory, and Koala’s face ticked.

### .

The next morning brought light rain showers and a subdued air, as though the town itself wept in fear of its newcomers.

No doubt, the Celestial Jackasses would be whining about the weather and blaming their hotel owners by now, as though the townsfolk had any control over the rain.

Sabo scowled, bringing his staff around tight and completing another set of katas in the small, open space of their hotel suite sitting room. It wasn’t a pipe, but he’d had more than a few friends practically begging him to drop the pipe and substitute with a proper weapon, and it’s not like he’d take up guns or swords—though he’d been fairly well-trained in each—so he’d started carrying around a collapsible bo staff. It didn’t give him the same peculiar sense of nostalgia, but after eight odd years, he supposed that was alright. He didn’t mind letting go of little things when he had the life with the Revolutionaries that mattered so much more to him.

By the door, most of their belongings were already packed and ready to go. Behind him, Koala was finishing up a late breakfast, nibbling at a piece of toast as she read the newspaper, courtesy of the hotel’s room service.

“Read anything interesting?” Sabo inquired gruffly as he swung the staff ‘round again.

“Minor politics, some natural disasters in South Blue,” Koala answered with a dull shrug. “So not really.” There was the sound of shuffling papers, and Koala hummed. “Oh but this is kind of interesting.”

Sabo twirled his staff absently. “Oh?”

Koala flicked the wanted poster. “This guy- I’ve heard of him before. His first bounty was 70 million beli upon entering the Grandline a year ago and then got upped to 150 million only two weeks later. And it just kept growing from there.”

Sabo whistled. “That’s pretty good for a newbie. What’s his bounty now?”

“550 million beli.” Koala’s eyebrow quirked up, amused. “It says that he’s now Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. I guess that answers why they upped his bounty this time.”

Sabo spluttered, staggering over to the table in disbelief. “He became a division commander for a _Yonko_ in _one year?!”_

“Apparently,” the orange-haired woman shrugged. “Fire Fist Ace doesn’t sit around for long, it seems.”

Sabo stilled. “Fire Fist… Ace?”

Something started echoing in Sabo’s head. It tugged at the back of his brain, persistent and uneasy, and he reached for it like an annoying itch in his back, but-

“-abo? Sabo!”

He blinked. Koala’s hand was on his shoulder and her face was creased with concern.

Sabo backed away, laughing sheepishly. “Ah, sorry. I think I checked out for a bit there.”

It didn’t look like Koala was totally convinced, but to his relief, she let it go with a huff. “Right in the middle of our conversation? Idiot.” Her nose suddenly wrinkled. “Oh- oh _ew,_ is that you?”

“What?” Sabo asked defensively.

“That _smell!”_ growled Koala. She sniffed again and screwed up her entire face. “It is! God, take a shower, would you?! You reek!”

“But I’m not done my exercises!”

“I don’t care, you are _not_ going to stink up the submarine with your sweat just cause you wanted to get ‘one more set in,’ you barbaric heathen!” Koala clicked her heels, pointing like he was a disobedient puppy. “Shower, now!”

“Come on,” Sabo griped, “I can just open a window!”

“Oh, like _that’ll_ help.”

Sabo laughed, unlatching the window and throwing it open. A pleasant breeze sprinkled with raindrops rushed through his curls and it was oddly quiet on the streets. “Sure it will! I’ll have you know, the circulation of fresh air is known to be quite therapeutic and of course, very good for improving the moods of cranky, little ol’ orange-haired ladi-!”

_Bang!_

Sabo slammed the window shut.

For a breathless moment, the only thing either of them could hear were their own heartbeats.

And then, with slow building volume, but muffled through the thick glass, came the sound of screaming. A girl, wailing with palpable grief.

Slowly, Sabo bent to peer out the window, already knowing with a heavy weight in his gut what he’d see.

 _“_ Sabo.”

Koala’s voice cut through the bubble of his numbing anger like a blade, reaching him as he stared down the length of the street, where a loose ring of people surrounded several figures.

One of whom was bleeding out on the ground.

If he squinted, he thought he could see a familiar beard adorning the figure’s face, and he wondered distantly if that meant the man’s daughter was going to have to work the counter after all.

At some point Koala came to stand beside him at the window, watching the morbid spectacle below.

Neither looked away. Maybe it was delusion, maybe it was self-righteousness… but they couldn’t ignore this. They couldn’t pretend they weren’t seeing this. They _had_ to acknowledge their sin of standing aside when they could be helping one more person, or they’d lose a vital part of themselves that separated them from their own, greedy enemies.

Or maybe they already have. Isn’t this Sabo hated most about nobles? That they knew, but chose to ignore it for their own selfish sake?

Sabo almost choked. His skin was crawling in horror at his own actions, at the sudden realization of what he was _doing,_ even while a wild, whirring part at the back of his brain struggled to remember his restraint, to remember all the reasons he could not afford to attack a Tenryuubito, and-

Well. He did know them. Objectively. He knew that an attack by one would often be assumed an attack by many; he knew that the Tenryuubito did not care about collateral damage while hunting down the offenders; he knew that the few, petty gains made against them likely wouldn’t survive the consequences.

But simple knowledge had done... _so very little..._ to prepare him for the actual moment, and right now Sabo wanted nothing more than to jump out this window and smash his staff into the Celestial Dragon’s hideous face and bust it open like a melon.

 _Do it,_ the hot, angry pulse in his ears hissed, _do it! You’d done crazier things and they’d always worked out before!_

He could see it now… The shock on that fat, pudgy face; the gelatinous ripples as his staff impacted the asshole’s squirrly cheeks...

Sabo flinched at the bite of trimmed nails digging into his wrist and turned.

“Don’t,” Koala commanded, face pale and ashen and not entirely there but brooking no argument. Sabo swallowed. “Just go take your shower. We leave for the docks in an hour.”

### .

The two young Revolutionaries checked out of the hotel just as the light showers were beginning to mature into a chilly drizzle, clouds grumbling above them. It was a mixed blessing to find empty streets before them, and their cloaked figures hurried towards the docks as quickly as they dared.

They took the extra second to skitter around the weeping bloodstain just outside the door though. It was a sprawling, messy mark, lightening with the rain and dripping between the bricks of the road. Sabo wondered how many more of them the city hwould have by the end of the day, and then decisively kept walking.

As they reached the corner tunrning onto the docks, Koala suddenly cursed and jerked to a stop. Before Sabo could ask what was wrong, the answer’s pompous voice was already drifting over from around the corner, and the beginnings of a snarl climbed onto his face.

“I can’t believe it! The utter disrespect these mongrels have- it’s just an outrage, an _absolute_ outrage I tell you!”

“There, there, Father,” a woman said with sickly sweet sympathy, “have a little understanding- they’re insects, after all. They can’t possibly comprehend how great a privilege they’ve been given in hosting us, and as such simply fell short in preparing for our arrival.”

The first Tenryuubito snorted. “You are too lenient with these savages, Mauve.”

“Please, Father, do not insult me so,” Saint Mauve sniffed. “I merely pride myself on being logical.”

Koala growled. “Logical,’ my _arse_.”

Sabo snorted instead of answering, but he knew she’d hear the derision in it. _So that’s Mauve, huh. Then Wales must be the father. Hard to belief they actually function as a family when they’re all selfish bastards though._ He shook himself. “Which way are they going?”

His partner pulled her hood a little further over her eyes and checked around the corner. “Towards us, from the right, 30 meters.”

30 meters? It was a bit close, but they still had a few seconds. He tugged on Koala’s arm. “Come on, let’s go back around this building. I’m not in the mood for kneeling to scum, are you?”

Koala nodded in acknowledgement. However, just as they were turning around, the wet clap of sandals sloshing through puddles rushed at them, and a brown blur filled Sabo’s vision before he could react.

“ _DIE,_ you murde--! _argh!”_

Sabo stumbled at the hard pressure driving into his side,

-heard the clatter of steel skittering across the stonework,

-smelled the petrichor arising from the splash of Koala and their assailant hitting the ground _right in the Tenryuubito’s path oh shit shit fuck-_!

And he _reeled_ , staring aghast at the girl—oh god, she can’t be more than fourteen?—and the infantile burst of killing intent drifting around her fallen form, and in a fleeting moment the only frantic, near delirious thought passing through Sabo’s head was, _holy SHIT this girl’s got balls._

But then he heard the swish of swords being drawn, and the moment was over as he took in the sight of Koala shielding the girl with her own body as two burly bodyguards loomed over them.

He whipped his head up at a loud snarl and was shot with cold at the absolutely _livid_ rage on the Tenryuubito’s face.

“Die?” Saint Wales breathed, face contorting with fury. “ _Die?!_ Is that what you said, you _insolent bug?!_ ” Wales dismounted from his—is that a _person?_ _Slave_ , his mind filled in bitterly, _he’s riding a_ —slave, stomping towards the two women on the ground. Another thin, ragged slave limped desperately after, arms shaking as he held the umbrella over the Celestial Dragon’s head.

Koala simply shoved the younger girl further behind, an all-too familiar glint of determination in her eyes.

“Which one of you said it, hah?!” Wales thundered. “ _Which one?!_ ”

Mauve clicked her tongue, remaining seated on her slave-mount and under the umbrella held by another. She seemed unfazed by the whole incident somehow, with a droll, thoughtful look on her face. “It was probably the orange-head, Father.”

Sabo suddenly found his spine so stiff he could’ve snapped like a twig.

“She’s the older one, it looks like; and even children know better than to challenge us,” Mauve explained, tone distinctly superior and pleased by the chance to show off her ‘logic.’ “And she’s wearing a cloak too! Assassins need cloaks to conceal their weapons,” Mauve pointed to the gun that lay forlornly a few feet away and smiled proudly. “I read it in a book.”

Wales blinked. “Oh, I see.” Then with smirking vengeance, the man locked onto Koala, who only stiffened, face deadly blank. “So you’re the one, eh?” The smirk fell into a snarl in the blink of an eye and _Koala don’t just sit there, run, argue, Koala what are you doing-?_ “Worthless _swine_! I’ll _flog_ you _myself_ for your insolence! Guards!”

The light in Koala’s eyes flickered, a veneer of strength cracked like glass, and the bodyguards reached for her and he blinked and he was sitting there with rain seeping into his clothes and _never attack a Tenryuubito, do you understand?_ and then-

“Whoa, let’s not be too hasty!”

Behind him, “What the-?”

“Who the hell are you?!” Wales demanded, seeming almost blindsided.

Sabo blinked. He found himself standing between Koala and the guards, hands raised in a defensive gesture but back curved with an unquestionably submissive posture. His heart hammered in his chest, from rage or nerves he wasn’t sure, and his hair was dripping and his mouth was flapping and what the fuck was he saying again?

“-so you see, it was actually me.” Wait, what?

“What?”

Mauve made a strange face as though literally looking down at him from her curved nose. “Excuse me? Are you accusing _me_ of being _wrong?_ ”

And oh, this was dangerous territory, Sabo could tell. He did not like being here or how he got here—how did he get here? No that didn’t matter right now—and his brain scrambled for a response.

“Well I’m not accusing you, no, but it would be disrespectful of me to lie to you, so yes, you are wrong.” He was already beginning to regret.

Hints of enraged offense were entering the Celestial Dragon’s expression, and Sabo, still somehow half-disconnected from his brain and mouth, rambled on before she could speak. “I mean no insult of course,” he said, drowning his words in a pandering, subservient milk that made him seriously want to vomit, and then, thinking quickly, added on, “your- uh- highness.”

Despite that, Wales still seemed ready to shoot him in the face so he braced himself, checked where Koala and the girl were, readying himself to grab them and run-!

“Explain then,” Mauve said sharply. “How am I wrong?”

Sabo had to take a moment then, and from the looks on he guards’ faces, so did they? Because wow, was this a Tenryuubito that would actually allow herself to be corrected? By a non-Tenryuubito, no less? He wasn’t sure whether he should get his hopes up.

He swallowed, mouth feeling so dry despite the moisture in the air, and racked his brain for a plan.

This Tenryuubito, Mauve- she seemed different from the rumors. She was still an arrogant, condescending ass, clearly, but she _could_ be manipulated. Maybe.

It would be a long shot. But he’d promised he’d keep Koala out of their hands, and if all attempts at violence would only bring down consequences ( _attack by one is an attack by many)_ , well then he’d have to try his best with words.

He’d have to be careful. Believable. But what…?

“It’s a game,” he blurted out, and ho boy that was stupid.

“A game,” Mauve repeated dubiously.

 _No._ “Yes,” Sabo said, mind whirling so fast his vision felt blurred at the edges. “To- amuse ourselves? It’s a pointless thing, we- I pretended to have a girl’s voice and say funny things and that’s why you heard ‘die!’”—wow, how deep was this hole, had he reached six feet yet?—“and the gun, well that’s sort of unrelated, see, I’d been carrying it but then I tripped into the girls, and. Um. It fell.”

He could feel Koala’s incredulous stare drilling into his back. It had the same intensity as the Tenryuubito’s.

Wales scoffed, catching everyone’s attention. “My dear, enough of this farce. Let’s just kill them all and be out of this dreary rain.”

The guards shifted their weapons.

“No, Father, wait,” Mauve said, brow scrunched in thought. “It makes sense.”

 _It… does?_ Sabo controlled his face with excruciating exactness.

“A man _is_ more likely to be carrying a gun,” she said, like a revelation, and that was kind of sexist but he’s not sure what he was expecting anyway, “And the ‘die’ joke…” she tilted her head with an ounce of pity. “It must be like for us, don’t you remember Father? Like watching the death matches we arrange between our slaves. But more delusional, because they _think_ they have power from it.”

Wales stared at his daughter. “What sort of foolishness-?”

“Well, we are fools compared to you all,” Sabo said with a simpering smile before he could think better of it.

This time he could tell his blathering had backfired, and Wales grew red, lifting his gun. “Do not interrupt me, vermin!”

He heard a bang, and instinctively he used his observation haki to see the projected course of the bullet and it was fortunate Koala and the girl were out of the line of fire he thought in a split second-

Burning pain suddenly ripped through the side of his head, and Sabo cried out, more surprised than pained.

“Sabo!” he heard behind the ringing of his left ear as he tumbled to the ground with a jolt.

“Father, don’t kill it,” Mauve whined from afar.

“Mister, are you alright?” Sabo turned his head, and the insane little girl Koala had been protecting reached for his head hesitantly.

“You’re hit,” Koala muttered, sounding strangely muffled as she brushed his hair away from his—holy _fuck_ his _ear,_ he felt like it was being dipped in freaking _acid—_ “you dodged, how did you get hit…?”

“Guards, get the blond one up!”

He felt thick, meaty hands around his arms drag him to his feet roughly, and he cursed to himself as the world spun beneath him. He could hear token protests behind him though and he waved his hands. _Just run already, why haven’t you run?_

When he looked up, the world was still spinning a little, and Wales and Mauve had a distortion in their faces that… kind of suited them, actually.

Wales waved the gun at Sabo in a careless way that had the blond flinching. Whether it was deliberate or not he couldn’t tell. “You should count yourself fortunate, rat,” the Tenryuubito sneered, “if the rain hadn’t ruined this gun, you’d have a bullet in your head.”

Ah, so that was what happened, Sabo realized. The gun had misfired, and his observation haki had misinterpreted the course. From the overall formless sting around the left side of his face, he’d probably gotten shot through the ear? Yikes, was anything left? He’d been lucky enough when his childhood accident hadn’t burned it away, was he going to lose it now?

“I shall count it as the favor of the gods,” Sabo replied impishly, hiding his irritation at getting injured. He took a vicious pleasure in how Wales face purpled then, whilst mourning why anyone gave him a mouth to speak with.

“He’s not wrong,” Mauve hummed, and both Sabo and Wales jerked their heads to look at her.

Mauve finally dismounted from her… slave, and walked towards Sabo, her umbrella-holding slave plodding after her.

Sabo felt a shiver of revulsion as Mauve’s eyes pored over his body and forced himself to hold still as she stopped a mere handwidth away from him and flicked his jostled hood the rest of the way down with one gloved hand.

“I like you,” she said primly after a moment. “You’re clever. Not as clever as I, obviously, but cleverer than most of the barbarians making up your population. As well as being acceptably handsome, despite… this part,” she waved at Sabo’s scar. Then she smiled, sending an eerie chill through Sabo’s spine. “You have definitely earned this goddess’s favor.”

It was a good thing she turned around then, because there was no way to stop the utter disgust and loathing from appearing on his face, before it all fell away to numbing shock at her next utterance.

“Father, I’ve decided.” Mauve declared. “This one will be my first husband.”

“What,” he breathed.

Wales pulled a face. “Well, that’s been a long time coming, but this one? Are you sure?”

“It’ll be fun keeping him in line,” the Celestial Dragon said lightly.

Sabo heard white.

_Keep me… in line?_

Mauve waved a hand at Koala and the girl. “You two are free to go.”

The shackles around the slaves’ wrists and neck clinked like champagne glasses.

“Remember our mercy this one time, and know it will never happen again.”

Trapped. Losing himself. _A cellar? Banging on a door, dread, fear, helplessness._

The guards dragged him forward as Mauve and Wales get back on their slave-mounts.

The burn of alcohol in his throat, of joy in his heart, and _We have to be free!_

There was an explosion behind his eyes. “NO!” Sabo gasped, ripping his arms away from the guards.

Mauve looked back at him with a childish frown. “No?” she repeated, as though unfamiliar with the word. “You don’t get to say ‘no.’”

Her father sighed, “Ay, I’ve warned you before, haven’t I? These degenerates, they like the word ‘no.’ Think it means anything when talking to us and tend to scream it like babies until you just shoot them in the head.”

Every consecutive word made Sabo itch for a pipe to smash the bastard’s face, and he snarled, high on rising adrenaline and sheer rage. “Perhaps consider,” he snapped with pseudo-sweetness, “that _you_ are the degenerates for failing to understand a simple _two-letter word._ ”

Mauve’s face twisted, ugly just like her soul, “How dare-?! Guards, _grab_ him!”

Sabo bared his teeth and shifted his feet, readied to attack because god _damn_ he was so done trying the mediator way-!

“He said NO!” and with one strong kick, one of the bodyguards went flying, crashing into an empty cart several buildings away.

“Koala!” he blurted out, and then promptly shivered at the fierce look in her eyes, promising death and fire to any that crossed her. He laughed then, knowing what the look was for, the final release of everything they’d been bottling up since watching the murder this morning. “I think we might’ve screwed up on the ‘don’t attack Tenryuubito,’ policy.”

“In my defense, I only attacked a bodyguard.” Despite her apparent cheek, Koala took a deep, slightly trembling breath, betraying nerves that could not be completely wiped away by vengeance. Sabo respectfully pretended to ignore it. “I sent the girl running, by the way,” she added much too casually.

“Mm.” Sabo cracked his knuckles. “We should probably be running too, shouldn’t we.”

The duo watched as Wales turned almost puce-colored, screaming at his remaining seven bodyguards to “kill them! Kill those impertinent brats, or I’ll shoot you!”

“I think we’re too deep in by now.”

The blond leveled his partner with a look then, scrutinizing her, trying to discern how much was bluster and how much was true conviction. Eventually, he turned back and shrugged to himself. “Aren’t you supposed to be the reasonable one?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the mission leader?” Koala retorted as the bodyguards attempted to surround them.

“Yeah, well, what’s that got to do with anything?” Sabo said in sly mimicry of her question last night.

Koala grinned, all wolf’s teeth and hyena’s craze, and in a single, united heartbeat, the two Revolutionaries jumped into the dumbest fight of their careers.

### .

The end of your average seven-on-two fight should be a no-brainer.

This was not your average fight.

Sabo and Koala practically cleaned house with these seven-foot thugs, effortlessly sweeping them off their feet or brutally breaking their ribs.

And then they got careless.

Sabo had fallen into a half-meditative state as he twisted a man’s arm and threw him into another; separated, but in sight of Koala, and dearly missing his staff. He mused with some woe that Hack would probably have a conniption fit when he found out what happened, and laughed under his breath that the fishman would probably demand the two of them pay the bills if he wound up breaking anything that needed replacing.

He didn’t think about consequences. He didn’t worry about Koala aside from the barest awareness of her movements. He dismissed the Tenryuubito as unimportant brats rather than valid threats. Because he was a fool.

So when it happened, it was in snapshots, his memory cutting out everything in between.

He saw the ballsy little girl return from across the street, hidden beside a barrel and aiming for the restless Tenryuubito.

He saw one of the guards see her, come up from behind with sword raised, and wow, what kind of dick targets a child?

He saw Koala, abandoning her opponent to lunge for the child-killer.

Heard the click of a gun at a distance.

Turned, pulled a gun from inside the jacket of the guy in front of him.

Knew, subconsciously, that the Tenryuubito’s gun would fail to fire, that it was too soaked by rain to work properly.

And that his—the one in his hand, the one that’d been safe in the bodyguard’s inner coat pocket—most likely would.

He saw petty rage in Saint Wales’s face. Saw the shiny barrel pointed at his partner.

He didn’t hesitate. He lifted the gun, and he fired.

### .

The ephemeral bubble surrounding the man’s head broke first, sounding a delicate “pop” like soap bubbles.

And then a split second later, the skull. The temples yawned like a coconut cracked in two. Half the nose had been torn off somehow, revealing the hollow of a nasal passages to open air.

Grey and red and yellow and shards of white spilled from the hole in a squishy, squelchy mess.

It wasn’t a clean shot. It was anything but.

Saint Wales toppled to the ground with an unceremonious thump, head busted open like a melon, just as one blond Revolutionary had silently vowed to do that very same morning.

### .

“Father?” the voice sounded annoyed. “Father, what are you doing on the ground?”

Sabo lowered the gun mindlessly, eyes wide at the mess he’d made. He was suddenly very aware of the blood still dripping from his left ear, could smell it on his cheek... the remnants of the wound Wales had given him in turn.

Mauve leaned over from the side of her slave-mount, smacking it when it tried to stagger away from the gory mess. “Enough from you. Father, get off the ground already, would you? And put on your bubble helmet, you know how unsanitary it is out here.”

The entire street had fallen silent. Except for the irritating whining from the remaining Tenryuubito.

She’s… like a child, Sabo thought blankly. Does she… not… know what death looks like? Surely she does. She can’t be younger than thirty, there’s no way she’s never in her _life_ seen one of her people shooting up an innocent person for the fun of it.

Right?

Mauve finally dismounted. Approached her father with a frown on her face. “Father, have you fallen ill?” she snapped her fingers at one of the frozen bodyguards. “You, there! Pick up my father and take him to the medical officer on our ship. There must be something wrong with the air on this island…”

The bodyguard swallowed. “Um… ma’am, I don’t think… a medical officer can-”

“Are you arguing with me?” Mauve demanded. “Are you?! Because I’ll have you know, my family does _not_ tolerate insubordination, and I will gladly shoot you-!” Her voice cracked.

And there it was.

Sabo swallowed and then spun his head to where he’d last seen Koala. The sudden movement sent a pulse of nausea through his brain that adrenaline could no longer hold back, but he grit his teeth through it. They didn’t have time to sit around and wait for hell to break loose, he _had_ to get Koala _out of here!_

A lucky clap of roaring thunder sounded overhead, masking his footsteps as Sabo grabbed Koala’s arm. “Come on,” he dragged her through the alleys, Koala disconcertingly unsteady on her feet. “We need to get out of here!”

“Sabo, you killed him,” Koala said, a daze in her voice, an echo of fear that had now been turned into impending reality.

“I know,” Sabo growled, wrinkling his nose at the smell of mildew mixing with the too-close scent of his blood as they rushed around the back of a building.

“Sabo you _killed him,”_ Koala repeated, more adamant this time.

“I _know,_ ” Sabo hissed back. He didn’t dare look back at her, he didn’t put a face to the rising hysterics, because he knew he’d earned them, that this and everything that followed would be his fault-! “Koala, I know already, okay, I _did_ it, so stop _saying it_!”

“A _Tenryuubito,_  Sabo!” Koala moaned, and Sabo cringed because he would really appreciate if Koala just _stopped talking_ right now, “oh god, you killed a _Tenryuubito!_ ”

The pressure loomed ever closer, ever harder against his throat, the unconscious awareness of what he’d done threatening to overwhelm his thoughts-!

He turned on his heel swiftly, grabbed Koala’s shoulders, and locked onto her eyes. “Koala. I know I screwed up big time. _Big_ time. But if we want to make anything _remotely_ good come out of this, I need you to pull yourself together, and help get us out of here.”

Koala stared at him, eyes wide, still quaking, and then she bit her lip and grabbed her branded shoulder blade for a few seconds before looking back up, determined. “You are getting the lecture of your _life_ when we get off this island.”

Sabo smiled weakly. “I look forward to it.”

And with that, they spirited away through the winding streets, away from the murder site with all they were worth as rain drizzled around them.

They weren’t too far away yet, when the wailing of a woman, reaching over rooftops and rebounding on brick walls, came for them.

“FIND HIM!” screamed Saint Mauve, Celestial Dragon and a grieving daughter. “FIND HIM AND **KILL** HIM! BURN THE **WHOLE** DAMN ISLAND DOWN IF YOU HAVE TO, JUST BRING ME _HIS_ **_HEAD_** _!_ ”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo. so i made a few small edits to prev chapter, but only noteworthy i can remember is that this Yujo is NOT an island kingdom, it is an island TOWN. small. not a kingdom.   
> also: i couldn't figure out how to mention it without sounding strange, but Sabo happens to not be wearing his hat for pretty much this entire chapter and the latter half of the prev. (Wah the aesthetic :c)   
> mmmm what else... ah oc's. they're there. forgive them, they want to be liked. 
> 
> WARNING for death of minor character again? XD
> 
> enjoy the chapter!!

Guard D was sweating. 

Very lightly—mind you—and there was no one around who could tell, especially with the rain having mingled into the thin sheen on his skin… but he was. 

If any of his compatriots  _ did  _ notice and asked why, he’d blame it on exertion; they would definitely believe him, because they all understood very well what a ridiculously mean punch those two kids had packed. 

But in the privacy in his own mind, he admitted the truth: he was scared as hell. The empty holster beneath his jacket kept bumping against his bruised ribs like the tolls of a church bell, and he heard it ringing his funeral service with every step he took. 

Saint Mauve hadn’t made any comment about who’d let the blond kid get his hands on a gun yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time. Guard D had worked under various Tenryuubito for many long years, and he’d seen enough of his clients to know how utterly ruthless and indiscriminate they were in their deliverance of punishments. 

The fact that he hadn’t  _ meant  _ to let the kid steal his gun didn’t mean squat. If Saint Mauve ever realized  _ he’d _ owned the gun that was used on her father, Guard D was as dead a man as Saint Wales. 

On that note though- it was surprisingly less difficult to accept the idea that a commoner had killed a Celestial Dragon than he would’ve initially thought. After so many years, it was still, of course, absolutely crazy, but… not unexpected. Even  _ his  _ dead moral code had acknowledged that the Tenryuubito eventually had to get what was coming for them.

But that’s none of his business. If he were able, he would’ve made a run for it already. Alas,  _ he  _ was the one ordered to help carry the corpse up to the ship.  _ He _ was the one responsible for organizing the makeshift hunting party for the crazy brat who’d murdered a  _ Tenryuubito.  _

_ He _ was the one who had to dutifully remain by Saint Mauve’s side while the woman stared down at her father’s corpse, where it lay upon silk sheets and tasteful bedding with the remaining undesecrated eye staring hollowly at the ceiling. 

The head still hadn’t been covered yet, since Saint Mauve had shot the first servant who’d tried. Left unattended, the viscera of the skull had spilled down and stained the pillow below its head an indelible maroon, and Guard D, despite being a good foot taller and wider than the petite woman he guarded, was starting to get rather nervous about the way Saint Mauve so motionlessly watched the blood coagulate and fingered the pistol hanging from her hand. 

“Guard.”

Guard D snapped up straight. “Yes, ma’am?”

The gun tapped against Saint Mauve’s thigh soundlessly. “What are the chances that we’ll find  _ that insect _ by sundown.”

The guard squirmed. “Er… Fairly good, I’d say? This is a fairly small island. And the forests are sparse enough that hiding in them would be difficult.”

_ Tap. _ “Are you lying to me?”  _ Tap, tap. _ “Like  _ that insect _ lied to me?”

Guard D swallowed at the hard edge in the Celestial Dragon’s voice, chillingly real and cutting, in a way that none of the shallow tantrums he had watched other Tenryuubito express before could possibly compare. “N-no, ma’am.” 

Saint Mauve tapped the gun again. Silence once more fell upon the room, disturbed by only the timid pitter-patter of raindrops against the window. Guard D saw a lick of lightning silently flicker over the horizon of the sea, like a firefly flickering through the glass.

“I’ve heard stories,” Saint Mauve hummed, raising her empty hand. It moved to hover over Saint Wales’s body, but never touched. “Stories from my grandparents told by their grandparents and by  _ their _ grandparents. Stories my father would’ve told  _ my _ children, and I would’ve told  _ their _ children.” The hand clenched slightly, fingers drawn in towards the palm. “Do you know what those stories are?”

“...no?” Guard D answered nervously. 

Saint Mauve scoffed. “Of course you don’t,” she said, dripping with scorn. “Those are  _ our _ stories. They honor us.  _ Affirm _ our authority and right to  _ everything  _ on this wretched earth.” Guard D could hear the snarl in her breath. “They’re every story of when we were not yet recognized as your  _ deities _ , and had fools attempting to kill our ancestors everyday like it was nothing but a  _ political  _ move, in order to ruin the new World Government.”

Thunder broke out in disgruntled rumbles outside, and the empty gun holster beneath Guard D’s coat grew ten times heavier on its straps. 

Saint Mauve breathed in, and then out. Behind her back Guard D made a face, perturbed by how deliberately she took in the stench of Saint Wales’s blood when he himself could barely stand the smell from across the room. 

“...When that happened,” the woman continued calmly, flexing her fingers in the air. “We brought down a hell tenfold on the offender. A  _ hundred _ fold on those who refused to learn. We descended upon the petty rebels who refused to yield, and we  _ quashed  _ them under our foot, and let the ocean wash away the smears.” 

Behind her, Guard D twitched. 

The woman sighed. “Perhaps it was our error, to keep the stories to ourselves. It has only led the mortals to forget.” Finally, she lowered her hand, and Guard D noted that it was shaking as it closed Saint Wales’s remaining eye. It clenched into a fist that rested against the corpse’s cheek lightly. 

And it was with a cold hate that could’ve frozen the sun itself that Saint Mauve growled, “it is  _ time to help them remember.” _

Saint Mauve abruptly spun on her heel to face him, and Guard D gulped at the dagger-like focus in her burning eyes. “Tell the crew to prepare for departure,” she barked, striding out of the room and barely blinking when Guard D jumped out of her way. “And get the cannons and bazookas ready!”

“Yes ma’am!” Guard D hurried to dig out the announcer denden mushi that connected to the speakers around the ship as he followed her. “And- what do you want us to do with them?”

“Destroy every boat at this port,” Saint Mauve snarled, stalking out onto deck and into the rain. She immediately recoiled at the first drops, despite her bubble helmet blocking them from touching her skin. “And where’s my useless slave?!”

Automatically, Guard D pulled off his jacket and held it above the woman’s head. 

Saint Mauve scowled at him. “Dumb dog,” she snapped before suddenly freezing in her tracks, eyes flickering down. Guard D had only a moment to wonder why when the jacket was snatched from his hands. 

“Go make yourself useful and retrieve the men,” the Celestial Dragon spat, draping the large article over her bubble helmet. It looked so silly that for a second Guard D wanted to laugh, until her words finally set in.

“The… men?” he repeated, incredulous. Normally he’d never question a Tenryuubito, but he had to be sure because… the  _ men _ ? Tenryuubito never care about who they leave behind, who got caught up in the damages of their whims, why did she want them now?

Saint Mauve glared at him like he was stupid. “ _ Yes, _ the  _ men,” _ she said mockingly. “Go find them and start setting fire to the docks already!!”

Ah, that made more sense. Guard D retrieved a different denden mushi from his pockets. “I’ll call them back immediately, your highne-” 

“NO!” 

Guard D blinked as the denden mushi was snatched out of his hand. When he looked back at the Tenryuubito, there was something wild in her eyes, something feral and wicked, and his unease only grew as she sounded out each of her next words deliberately and breathlessly. “ _ You _ , get  _ off  _ this ship, and  _ find the men.” _

He only hesitated for a moment—and then obeyed. He sensed he’d pressed his luck far enough as it were.

As he stepped off the gangway, Guard D glanced back without stopping to find Saint Mauve at the railing, while the rest of the crew rushed around her, watching him. 

He felt like he was forgetting something as he stepped off the wooden planks of the dock and onto solid ground.

And then halfway down the road, he stopped in front of a large bloodstain, still matted with bits of grey and red and yellow and white. 

Guard D felt the weight of his empty gun holster anew, burning into his ribcage, the straps cutting into his flesh, and his throat went dry as rain water dripped down his face. 

_ Ah, _ the man thought as four bullets, one after another, spiraled through his lumbar and out through his abdomen.  _ That’s what I forgot. _

As he fell to his knees, he felt a final, fifth bullet bite through him, a bit higher than the others. When he looked down, the leather walls of his gun holster were torn through, edges frayed, and he suddenly felt a rush of unreasonably deep annoyance that washed out all the dizzying terror. 

_ Dammit, _ he thought, falling forward with an undignified gurgle.  _ I should’ve just... made a run for it. _

Something thick and coppery filled his mouth before spilling out between his lips like baby spittle, and his vision went dark. 

The man was dead before he could hear the first explosions rock the harbour or feel the hot splinters tickle his face. 

###  .

_ “...Please, tell me you’re joking.” _

Sabo hissed as Koala dabbed the soaked cotton swab on his ear, settling down at her warning glare. “I would _ , _ but ah… I’m fairly certain you know us too well to believe it.”

_ “I… I don’t…” _ Hack heaved a long, dismayed sigh through the denden mushi, and Sabo imagined the fishman rubbing his forehead.

For once Sabo thought he could understand. There’d been a deep well of tension in his stomach since he’d fired the damning shot, and it had only grown with each passing minute.

It wasn’t that he felt guilty for killing the Tenryuubito. He wasn’t some sociopath who’d kill anyone on a whim, but the elimination of certain threats was an unavoidable necessity in their line of work, and the Tenryuubito had more than fit his definition of a threat. 

And yet. It was a  _ Tenryuubito. _

Koala had told him once, in a quiet, twilight moment in the Army barracks when time was absent and light couldn’t bare their scars, that as a slave, she’d found that the Tenryuubito had a deadly combination of short tempers and long memories. They caught every  _ hint _ of insult like spiders trapping bugs in a web, and refused to relinquish them until retribution had bled the offenders-turned-targets dry and had sated their thirst for sadism. 

What that meant for Sabo was obvious to all of them: Mauve wasn’t going to let go of this until she had Sabo crushed in her grasp. 

Sabo wasn’t scared of that, not really. In fact, it almost excited him, stirred the animal instinct that invited a good fight. 

But even now, he knew the World Government agents were breaking down doors, overturning homes, probably waving guns around and terrifying random citizens—all in their search for Sabo (and maybe Koala, by association), and there were few things Sabo hated more than having a living person stand as his shield, whether he asked for it or not. 

_ “...nevermind,”  _ Hack sighed. _ “I can’t process this right now. What’s our plan?” _

Sabo winced, eyes darting up to the stairs and trapdoor in the corner of the dark room. “We’re... still working on that part. We have shelter at least, thanks to this little girl who’d tried to shoot the Tenryuubito earlier—“

_ “She what.” _

“Saint Wales murdered her father this morning,” Koala explained in a deceptively bland tone, switching out the cotton for a square of gauze and motioning for Sabo to hold it to his wound. The world got decidedly quieter on that side as Koala began wrapping it with medical tape. “So she went out with a gun and tried to kill Wales back.” 

Hack hesitated before speaking up again, almost timidly asking,  _ “And she’s… still…?” _

“Koala helped her get away,” Sabo reassured the fishman as Koala stepped back to check her work before nodding with satisfaction. “So she’s helping us hide in return.” The blond reached up and touched the medical wrap distractedly. “I am a bit concerned though. She stayed pretty discreet during the whole incident—you know, aside from her initial charge—but there’s no way the Tenryuubito’s guards hadn’t gotten a good enough look at her to recognize her while they’re on the little manhunt. They might suspect her of something.” 

_ “That is worrying,” _ Hack murmured.  _ “But then back to my initial question: what are we going to do?” _

Sabo bit on his inner cheek instead of answering, sitting back and resting his head against the wall. By his estimation, it’d been about half an hour since they’d taken refuge in the girl’s basement. Definitely a bit more than that since he’d shot Saint Wales; and sure, he’d come up with a few ideas since that frankly  _ mind-boggling  _ moment, but… Sabo was finding it more difficult than usual to just pin one down and straighten it into a proper plan. 

He was too twitchy, too irritated to think, and so every time he gave one of his ideas a cursory glance for chances of success, he was confronted with a big, fat, foreboding zero, which left him even more twitchy and irritated and started the cycle all over again. 

“Well, we can’t just leave, first of all,” Koala said, the frown clear in her voice. “Mauve would tear the island apart until she found undeniable proof that Sabo wasn’t here anymore. And even then, she might just finish the job out of spite.” 

“So you’re saying we need to give her a line to bite,” Sabo extrapolated, peering over at her. She had her back to him, packing their medical kit back into her travel bag. Sabo considered it a minor miracle that it hadn’t been lost somehow in the incident earlier. “Something to get her attention off the island.” 

His partner shrugged. “Don’t know how we’d do it, but if we put on some sort of act of leaving, then maybe.”

Hack’s eyes through the denden narrowed.  _ “Do you think there’s a way to get her to drop the hunt for Sabo altogether?” _

Koala snorted. “Well, that would certainly be convenient, but I doubt it.  _ Nothing  _ matters more to a Tenryuubito than getting what they want.” 

A darkness coated her statement, the implicit weight of personal experience backing it as truth, but upon hearing it, Sabo couldn’t help how something in him just sort of… slowed. “...Are you sure?”

The conversation stuttered. Koala looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“What about their life,” Sabo suggested, sitting up again with his brain already settling into a new track and warming into a run. “Would they value getting what they want over keeping their own  _ lives _ ?”

Koala gaped at him. The denden with Hack’s face contorted with horror. 

_ “You  _ **_want_ ** _ to kill another Tenryuubito!” _ the fishman accused, furious like Sabo had just suggested they blow up Army Headquarters for a firework show.

“I don’t  _ want _ to kill the Tenryuubito,” Sabo bristled. ‘’I’m saying that  _ she _ doesn’t know that.”

Koala shot to her feet, face pale. “Sabo, are you  _ nuts? _ You’ll just piss her off more!!”

“So what if I do?” Sabo challenged irritably. “It’s not like her getting angrier would change what she wants to do.”

Koala made a frustrated sound like a steaming kettle, before collapsing back into her seat and dropping her face into her hands. “It’s a stupid idea,” she muttered. “Really stupid, you’re unbelievable, honestly…” 

“But…?” Sabo offered, hearing one in the lapse of her tone. 

_ “But nothing!” _ Hack interjected fiercely.  _ “Sabo, drop this already, it’s far too reckless, even for  _ **_your_ ** _ standards! We can’t possibly-!” _

“Hack,” Sabo interrupted, a silent warning in the placidity of his tone. “Quiet, please. Let Koala speak.” 

The fishman’s worried disgruntlement was clear on the denden’s face, but Sabo only had eyes for his partner. 

“You would know their ways better than us, Koala,” he said, firm but tracing it with the faintest of apologies. “What do you think?”

Koala looked uncertain, then shook her head. “I don’t want to cloud our judgement with bias...”

Sabo just waited.

Breathing out heavily, the orange-haired woman pulled off her cap and played with its brim. She bit her lip. “It’s… unprecedented. Looking at this objectively… if you hadn’t killed Wales earlier, I would’ve just said that there was no way a Tenryuubito would understand that they were in danger of dying. They’ve got so much faith in their own importance and power… they’d fail to grasp that death was an actual possibility, and probably hold out ‘til the very end.”

“I  _ did  _ kill Wales though,” Sabo pointed out. “And Mauve understands that.” 

Koala nodded slowly. “That, she does. Probably.”

“So it would work? Hypothetically?” 

“Well… maybe? I… guess it  _ could, _ but...” Koala scowled, and then reached over to bat Sabo’s arm with her hat. “It’s still way too dangerous! How would we even make sure the Tenryuubito kept her word?!” 

Sabo’s smile glittered unpleasantly. “I have a few ideas.” Then Koala’s face screwed up in that way that usually meant she was about to rip him a new one, and Sabo held up his arms in surrender. “Hey, look, I wasn’t saying we should go for it either. I just wanted to know if it would work... you know. Just in case.” 

Hack scoffed. 

“I’m serious!” Sabo said, mostly in vain. 

Koala scoffed too. 

At that, Sabo knew he’d never convince them and decided to move on. It wasn’t like he blamed them for the assumption. For what it was worth, they had very few mission failures to speak of and moreover displayed an astounding adaptability that  _ very _ few units in the Army could rival… but truthfully, his team’s missions  _ did _ have a tendency to go haywire and veer into his uh… back-up plans. 

“Alright, so,” Sabo began, sitting forward with his hands clasped under his chin. “The best strategy at this point would probably be to get the Tenryuubito to leave Yujo Island first. Get her to follow me, maybe fake her out with my death while at sea, if possible. You too, Koala, just in case.”

The woman nodded. “The submarine will be helpful for that.” 

“I thought so too.” Sabo turned towards the denden. “Hack, you’ve still got the sub docked, right?”

_ “Yes, at the northernmost end,” _ Hack confirmed, sounding much calmer now they’d dismissed the more ‘suicidal’ solution.

“Can you see the World Government ship from there?”

_“Not quite.”_ There was a _clank_ and hiss at the other end. Most likely the entrance hatch to the submarine opening. _“There’s too much distance between our boats, but I’ll try-...”_ Hack faltered. _“What on earth-?”_

Sabo inexplicably felt his stomach clench. “What, what do you see?”

_ “The World Government ship is… departing from port,” _ Hack told them, sounding bewildered.  _ “I think… I think I can see Saint Mauve standing at the railing too. Though, why would…?” _

The clenching got tighter, and he exchanged a worried look with Koala. “Do you see anything else?” she asked.

A pause.  _ “Yes. Half a dozen men a bit away from the docks, armed with guns and… oh no.” _

Just then, a muffled  _ boom! _ echoed through the line, quickly followed by a fervent string of curses.

Sabo shot up uselessly, a frantic itch for action driving him to his feet despite knowing he was too far away to do anything, and he saw Koala’s fists twist into her skirt. “Hack?!” 

_ “The port-!” _ Hack growled, his voice accompanied by the sharp bang and clanks of metal.  _ “They’re blowing up the port, and all the boats in it! I need to-!” _

_ BOOM! _

Sabo snatched up the denden and barked into it, “Hack, focus on escaping; call us once you’re safe. You have an hour ‘til we come looking for you.” 

Koala lunged and grabbed Sabo’s wrist which held the denden with a hiss. “Don’t you dare-!”

_ “Will do!” _

And the line died with a quiet  _ KA-cha. _

For a moment, the two of them stare at the sleeping snail in silence. Then Koala’s hand tightened around Sabo’s wrist until the blond was forced to grunt out, “Koala… Koala, you know we’d just distract-!”

Koala threw his hand away almost violently. “I  _ know _ ,” she scowled, turning away. Sabo could see the tension in her shoulders while he rubbed the sore bones of his wrist with a grimace.

“An hour, right?” 

Sabo nodded at the terse question. Then, realizing she couldn’t see it, “it seemed like a reasonable amount of time.” 

Several seconds ticked by before Koala took a deep breath, and then exhaled, shoulders loosening like a full sail falling slack. She spun back around, a determined shine in her eyes. “Let’s not waste that time then.”

###  .

The hour passed agonizingly slowly, and every minute without contact from Hack was a minute spent winding up the atmosphere of the chilly basement into a ball of tension and worry. 

However, Sabo and Koala were professionals. Under the dim light of a single lamp in the musty basement, they continued their discussion on strategies, laying out plans for every eventuality: whether they’d have the submarine at their disposal, or wouldn’t have it; whether they had Hack, or didn’t have Hack. 

Somehow, they forced themselves to consider how they would proceed without Hack, though that bulk of conversation may have been the most starkly professional of all. 

At some point, the girl who’d been harbouring them popped by with a basket of slightly stale sandwiches, washed fruit, and clean water. 

It was practically godsend—not just for his stomach, but for the way the girl’s nervous smiles and awkward hospitality dissipated some of the stress hanging off them like deadweight, helping them focus on where their priorities should truly lay. 

The girl introduced herself as Hibiscus, and Sabo found her subdued personality amusing when compared to the fiery passion that had torn down the rainy street a few hours ago. There was a saying about that though, wasn't there? Something about the quiet ones. 

Regardless, she didn’t stay very long. “My big sister only went out to find my mom, so she’ll be back soon,” Hibiscus explained, scuffing her sandaled foot on the dusty cement. “‘The manhunt outside is making her nervous, probably. I... don’t think I’ve ever seen her so scared than when she told me to stay in the house earlier.” 

Sabo cracked a grimace, allowing Hibiscus to see his guilt. “Sorry about that.” 

The young teen had shrugged lightly. “Don’t worry about it. If you hadn’t… killed  _ him _ , I would’ve. And I’d probably be dead for it by now, so.” 

Well, he couldn’t dispute that. 

Eventually, the hour of waiting was up, with still not a word from Hack, and so he and Koala refastened their cloaks, strapped on their travel bags, and were ready to go. 

Hibiscus wouldn’t know they had left, but the two of them preferred that really. They might appreciate the girl’s secret spunk and honor, but their connection was a liability on both ends. Best to leave cleanly. 

It was with this in mind that Sabo lifted the trapdoor carefully, not allowing a single creak as he peeked out of the basement and into the hallway. Seeing and hearing nothing suspicious, he raised the panel the rest of the way and clambered out, Koala gracefully following. 

They kept their eyes and ears open as they crept through the house, phantom-like with nary a sound to their steps. 

As they came to a split in the hall however, they heard a grave dulcet drifting over from around the corner. 

“-already killed Fili as an example. Then Inasa a few minutes ago.”

“I… that’s…!” Hibiscus’s voice trembled, breathless with horror, and Sabo exchanged a worried glance with Koala. 

“Do you understand now?” the other voice asked, with that tight quality that belied stricken fear while trying to sound strong, “If they can’t find you, then you can’t be a target, see?  _ That’s  _ why I need you to stay here, hidden.”

“Aster- _ nee…” _ A knot of emotion dripped from the single name, and Sabo felt his lips thin. 

“Don’t- don’t worry,  _ omouto,” _ Hibiscus’s older sister cooed reassuringly. “Enough with that face, hm? We’ll find this-  _ ‘Sabo’  _ soon enough.”

“But how many people will be dead before then?!” Hibiscus demanded, voice rising into that familiar indignation and dismay that had made her into an attempted murderer, albeit curved with the slightest of knowing guilt. “If- if they really kill one of our people for each hour that- that Sabo goes unfound... won’t that mean they’ll have killed 24 of our people by tomorrow?!”

Koala’s eyes grew wide, and Sabo twitched, capping his anger before it can erupt at someone undeserved. 

So that was how Mauve wanted to play this. Sabo wasn’t sure why he didn’t expect it, because he really should have. He’d known the Tenryuubito wasn’t completely stupid, that she had destroyed the boats at port with the express purpose of preventing a quick escape to the sea.

He’d even brought it up with Koala, in an attempt to lift their spirits, on how curious it was that a Tenryuubito would even think of doing it. 

“Not really,” Koala had shrugged. “A lot of Tenryuubito have this ‘philosophy’ of sorts, on knowing how to use their power for maximum comfort and that  _ does _ take a certain amount of brains. I know a lot of people make jokes about them being idiots, but… they’re really not. They’re just assholes.”

Indeed. No, the real idiot here was clearly Sabo. He’d been so set on winning the game, he’d allowed his opponent change the board before the game even began… and now the people of Yujo was paying for his negligence. 

Sabo forced himself to take a deep, calming breath, pushing down the angry rush in his ears, and met Koala’s eyes before jerking his head to signal that they continue onwards. He didn’t need to hear the rest of the conversation to know that Hibiscus would give them up sooner or later. 

Sooner, if he was right about why her mother wasn’t the one having this conversation with her. 

They needed to be out of here by then. 

Koala nodded, and together they slipped through the back door and into the outdoors. 

It was still raining, which seemed appropriate. 

But in the time that they had been hidden away, the storm had intensified, raging as though in conjunction with the emotions of Yujo’s residents, and Sabo was reminded of his idle thought that the rain had been weeping with its people. And now, with the murders of several of its citizens, the storm had grown angry, and harsh winds billowed through the island, pelting Sabo and Koala with rainfall from every side and blinding their eyes with bladed air currents. 

_ Your fault, _ it seemed to hiss,  _ Your fault, your fault, your fault. _

_ My fault, _ Sabo agreed, as he and Koala scuttled their way through the backstreets, avoiding searchers and soldiers alike in their journey towards the ruined port.  _ My fault, my fault, my fault. _

_ My job, to fix this. _

Sabo abruptly ducked deep into an alley, Koala following in befuddlement. 

“Koala,” he said, nearly muted by the deafening roar of rain pouring down around them, “We’re splitting up here.”

The surprise on Koala’s face only lasted for a second, before falling into a weary, knowing stare. “Do you have a plan?” 

“Yes,” Sabo answered too quickly. 

“... Is it a good one.”

“...It’s not a  _ bad  _ one?” 

Koala narrowed her eyes. When Sabo refused to squirm, she sighed and handed him their denden mushi with a dangerous look in her eyes. “ _ Don’t _ get caught.” 

“I won’t,” he chirped as Koala dashed back onto the streets and towards the docks, puddle water flying from her heels.

Then after a few minutes of waiting, a government soldier began passing into his reach, and Sabo crouched down on the balls of his feet and muttered in addendum, “at least... not when it’s not useful to me.” 

A clap of thunder rung through the air, and he lunged. 

###  .

The docks were demolished. 

Cracked logs and blackened planks were thrown askew everywhere. The storming sea roiled and crashed against the shore, dragging debris back and forth. Skeletonized ships bumped into each with mournful groans, threatening to capsize at any moment, and one particularly defiant boat part-sat-part-floated along miserably, with one end stubbornly sticking out like a duck dipping its head into the water. 

A wispy haze covered the sea as well, an illusion made by the constant cascades of rain plunking into the the water and sending tiny droplets flying in effect, and one could smell that special fresh-and-brine collision smell, of rain at the beach, interwoven with smoke and char. 

It was messy, and eerie, and felt very much like standing in a graveyard. 

But not Hack’s, Koala told herself firmly. Most definitely not Hack’s. 

Of course, she could be wrong. But she chose not to believe that right now, not until it was indisputably proven as such. 

Staying close to the shadows under the treeline, Koala raced towards the northern end of the docks. She barely felt the heavy weight of her drenched cloak, nor heard the squelch of mud under her boots. 

They were inconsequential, in comparison to the worries that had been harrying her mind since she’d lost sight of her teammates. 

Was Hack safe? Was he  _ alive? _ Why hadn’t he contacted her and Sabo if he was? Where was he? 

And Sabo, that damned trouble magnet. Why did he have to kill that Tenryuubito and get them all into this mess? Why did he have to go off and try to deal with the Government soldiers on his own?

The second set of questions, framed in annoyance, die off the moment they’re formed. 

She already knew why. She’d known him too long not to.

It was just… so troublesome that she couldn’t bring herself to dislike that part of him. That she, in ways, even  _ appreciated  _ that part of him. 

But how could she not? The Revolutionaries were bringers of chaos to a world of systemized, orderly cruelty, and Sabo was one of the few who could, and would, quite gleefully crank that trait to an eleven at will.

This time though… this time, had he gone too far? 

Koala grit her teeth. 

There was a  _ reason _ nobody tried to resist a Tenryuubito in broad daylight, dammit, there were  _ several. _ Yet here in one impulsive moment Sabo had brushed past all that, walking right into the lion’s den and then shoving his arm straight into its  _ mouth _ , daring it to bite. 

And Koala knew it would. In fact it already had, and the innocent lives of Yujo islanders were stuck between its teeth. 

But that was why Sabo had run off this time, wasn’t it. To make sure no one else died for his actions. He was only human, and she couldn’t truly be angry with him for it, but-

God, this was such a  _ disaster _ . She hadn’t even  _ begun  _ to think of the consequences outside of Yujo if they survived this- of all the other Tenryuubito, the World Government…

Maybe even the  _ Revolution itself, _ if it came to that. 

Koala shook herself. This wasn’t the time. 

Right now, she had to have faith in her teammates and their ability to pull through, as they always have. Hack, that he would be alive and well and there to help her back Sabo up on his one man quest; and Sabo, that he wouldn’t get caught, wouldn’t get horrifically tortured by a Tenryuubito, and wouldn’t  _ ever _ pull something this stupid again. (Even if it  _ was  _ to save her life.)

The end of the docks soon came into view, and Koala sharpened her eyes, scoping the shoreline of ruins for the telltale gleam of dark steel, the wreckage of something built deliberately for camouflage and discretion. 

Or alternatively, a body. A big, bright, scaly body… breathing—if unconscious—and ideally, uninjured. 

She was so focused on searching, she almost forgot about the other search that was already going on.

The voices reached her like a feather-light touch to her ear, and Koala withdrew into the forest beside the docks just before the two men in the distance could see her, blurry figures approaching quickly with swords at their sides. 

As a precaution, she climbed one of the trees, simultaneously cursing the slippery bark and branches that were hell on her hands, even through her special gloves. 

She had just tucked the tail-end of her cloak out of sight, rain dripping uncomfortably down her neck, when the shorter of the two figures lost his footing a few yards away from her and fell into the wet mud with a vulgar curse. 

The taller figure—a government soldier, she could see now from the emblem on his cloak—stopped and turned to his partner. “You alright?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the rain.

The first soldier grunted as he stood, moist suction noises coming underfoot where he placed his boots. “Yeah, I’m good. Just gross as shit now.  _ Dammit _ .” 

The other shrugged. “Deal with it. We’ll be out of the weather soon.”

“And thank god for that,” the muddied one huffed dourly. “If that dumb kid had made us stay out here another minute, I’d crack his jaw myself.” 

Koala’s eyes narrowed. Kid? 

“You shouldn’t underestimate him for his age,” the taller one warned. “Didn’t you see what he did to the main guard squad?”

“Oh please, he can’t be that good,” the muddied soldier scoffed. “We got ahold of him, didn’t we?”

Koala nearly crushed the branch she was holding.  _ For god’s sake, Sabo, it’s only been  _ **_fifteen minutes-!!_ **

“Only because he gave himself up,” the other argued, abruptly cutting off the rising panic in Koala’s throat. “And even then-”

The muddied one groaned, forcefully brushing past the other. “Whatever! Can we finish this conversation inside? I can feel the rain in my fuckin’ boxers!” 

The taller man hesitated, then wordlessly followed. 

Soon the two were far out of sight, and Koala dropped down from the trees, considering her options.

She looked out over the horizon for a moment. It was empty. No World Government galleon in sight. No Tenryuubito at hand. 

Koala sighed and then turned away.

Hack still needed her, so she would stick to her job. 

And despite the grey hairs she’d get for it... she would trust Sabo to stick to his, regardless of how worrying a path he took to do it. 

He was going to get the ass-kicking of his life when this was over though. Several of them. One for each time Koala almost got a heart attack because of his craziness. 

‘Not a  _ bad  _ plan’ her goddamn  _ foot. _

###  .

Sabo rammed the last soldier’s head into the wall, plaster cracking at the impact, and let the large man drop with a brisk clap of his hands. 

For a quick bandage tactic, Sabo thought as he turned towards the trembling mayor behind him, this had gone rather well. 

“There were twenty of them, right?” he asked again, just to be sure. “From the Tenryuubito’s direct forces, I mean.”

The mayor made a sound that was more whimper than answer.

Sabo sighed and went to go looking for rope. 

It was fortunate that the Tenryuubito had apparently changed her mind and ordered for him to be brought in alive instead of dead. He had thought he would have to take out the government soldiers one by one, but by simply surrendering himself, he had been able to draw all his targets into one, convenient location and incapacitate them, safe in the knowledge that they were under orders not to kill him.

And since Yujo’s police probably wouldn’t kill their own citizens, that meant there was no longer anyone to kill another Yujo islander at the end of the hour. 

This didn’t mean Yujo’s problems were solved, Sabo knew, tamping down on his frustration. But he’d bought them a bit more time, before the Tenryuubito returned from… god knows where, so he would accept the small victory while he could. 

Sabo stopped before he could pass through the doorway. “Ah,” he remembered, looking back at the mayor. The portly man flinched, small glasses slipping down his nose. “Does anyone in town happen to have a boat handy?” he inquired with as cordial a smile as he could manage. “One that wasn’t docked since this morning, of course.”

If the submarine was down, his team would need a way of transportation at some point after all. Ideally without having to call the Revolutionaries for a ride, since bringing anyone else into this situation could result in an even bigger disaster and a half. 

And a bigger ass-kicking in his future. 

The mayor stared at him for a long moment, and Sabo was about the assume the man was too deep in shock to answer him, when the man crumpled up his chin and said with a fervent, helpless anger, “Y-You must think you’re so damn noble, don’t you?!”

Sabo would have bristled, but he took note of the tremble in the man’s voice, the way his adam’s apple bobbed but his eyes burned, and so the blond simply dropped his smile and turned around fully. “Not at all,” he answered, meeting the man’s glare with solemnity. “I know I’ve brought great troubles and grief to your home.” He bowed. “I apologize deeply to your people.”

The mayor sputtered. “ _ Damn _ your apology!” he roared, face reddening. “And damn you for- for all  _ this _ too! You couldn’t’ve- If you’d just-!” 

It was a sob, instead of words, that followed then. A wet, familiar despair, and Sabo flinched because he knew the meaning behind it. He’d heard it choked out from the mouths of parents who’d lost their children to apathetic kings, of people who’d fallen into the trap of unpayable debts, of people who had been thrust into circumstances out of their control while powers higher than them tore their worlds asunder. 

How it hurt Sabo now, to hear  _ it _ in the horrified weeping of a poor mayor to a small, peaceful port town, caught between two powers that he had no hope of protecting his people from, and know the blond was one of them. 

“Saint Mauve thinks you’re one of ours, you know,” the mayor hissed, rubbing his eyes, before Sabo could respond. “She thinks y-you’re of Yujo, and, and you know what sh-she’s going to do?”

Sabo felt something sick in his stomach, a dread borne of the heated blame being aimed at him, and he braced himself. 

“She’s coming back with  _ warships _ ,” the man spat, furious and hopeless, and oh  _ shit, _ “Said if we hadn’t found you by then, she’d just destroy our island in its entirety, 

“-but if we  _ had _ , she’d take you and then destroy the island  _ anyway  _ to make you ‘watch your hometown’ be blown to hell, and she-!” the mayor choked, staggered to his knees. “Gods, it doesn’t even matter anymore… w-we’re all going to die…  _ oh gods…” _

**_Shit_ ** _ , _ Sabo thought again, teeth grinding.  _ Warships _ ? He’d expected reinforcements when the Tenryuubito left, but not something this…  _ drastic.  _

He especially hadn’t expected her to link him and Yujo so personally. But dammit, he  _ should’ve _ . 

Sabo swept a hand through his still-damp hair with a quiet hiss, head suddenly feeling uncomfortably bare without the familiar weight of his top hat. 

There was no way his three-man team could take down a bunch of warships, Sabo thought. One on its own, maybe, but not  _ several _ as the mayor had implied. 

Should they call the Revolutionaries for back-up? No, that’d be pointless. No one was close enough to get here in time. And even if they were, if the Revolutionaries openly engaged the Marines over this small island now, there’s be no mistake of Sabo’s affiliations and considering his actions...

Yeah, no, he couldn’t do that. 

Sabo pulled out his denden mushi and stalked out of the room, leaving behind the weeping mayor and stepsiding the unconscious guards splayed across the hallway, and stopping in front of the window at the end. 

He could feel the cold emanate from the glass, wind howling hard outside and rain skittering down its surface in harsh diagonals, and he almost wanted to apologize to it. 

The denden hummed in Sabo’s hand as he waited for an answer, arms crossed and mind lost in thought. 

Finally:  _ “Sabo?” _

The blond’s shoulders dropped an increment and he let himself draw up a twitch of a smile. “You’re alright.”

_ “Aa,” _ Hack confirmed tiredly, but still going strong.  _ “A bit battered, but nothing serious. My apologies for not getting into contact. My denden mushi died—poor thing fell into the sea—so I had to go find a new one. Koala just helped me get it dialed up.” _

Sabo exhaled. “That’s good. How about the submarine, is it still functional?”

_ “Thankfully, yes.” _ Hack paused.  _ “Koala gave me a quick summary of the situation. Last she heard, you were captured. I assume everything’s under control over there then?” _

“...Yes…?” Sabo winced. “And no. The situation has changed. Slightly.”

_ “...I do not like this tone you’re using, Sabo. _ ” 

“Hack, you’re probably going to hate me for this-”

_ “Oh no.” _

“-but I  _ think  _ I’m going to have to kill another Tenryuubito.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeeey so its been a while. thanks for sticking around!!   
> significantly shorter word count though, sorry bout that. the more critical parts need more time, so i thought i'd just get this part out since it's been done for like. months now. X<  
> but i hope you'll enjoy!!

Saint Don Quixote Mauve had never come across a better nor more accurate epithet for the lower creatures of the world than ‘insect.’ 

After all, they were all so small. So stupid, and so disgusting. They scuttled across the crummy earth, lived pointless lives, infested whatever space they occupied. Like insects.

Some of the more foolish ones would titter on about their own significance, but even they, like the majority of their dismal kind, knew to cower before the might of Celestial Dragons, as was proper. 

Yet then you had the insects with the nerve to  _ climb. _ Fisher Tiger, the Revolutionaries, that  _ damned Sabo-! _

All the  _ lowest, _ most  _ arrogant  _ scum of scum, mere ants, crawling up the Tenryuubito’s legs and sending shivers up their spine, possessed of such insidiousness that they couldn’t be caught. 

But not this time, Mauve thought viciously. The Cipher Pol units and all the Marines had failed with Fisher Tiger, and with the Revolutionaries, but  _ not this time. _ Because this time, a Tenryuubito would  _ personally _ see this punishment carried out. She would  _ personally _ make sure  _ that insect _ suffered for his crimes, for his hubris. For daring to murder her  _ father- _ !

The coals in the fireplace crunched in surprise and red-hot flakes jumped into the air. Heedless of the ominous crackle, Mauve jabbed the branding iron into the flames once more, a snarl etched into her face as she drove the bar deeper with a feral twist. Her distant eyes imagined smooth, white flesh becoming a grotesque black, the pungent smoke and burning, the babbling screams for mercy that she most certainly would never give. 

No. Sabo most  _ definitely _ will not escape her wrath. Not with the three warships she had at her back and all the anger in her chest.

No one crosses a god and gets away with it. 

There came a crisp knock from the door of her private quarters, interrupting her furious musing. 

“Enter,” she snapped, sparing only a glance towards the entrance. 

The captain of her galleon entered the room, bowing low and avoiding her eyes. 

“Your majesty,” the captain began, “we will arrive at Yujo in approximately an hour.”

Mauve sneered. “You came to bother me with such useless information? I want to know when we  _ are _ there, not  _ almost, _ idiot.”

The captain’s placid expression barely wavered. “Of course ma’am. However, the problem is that there’s no way for the ship to dock.”

“What?” Mauve whipped around, nose flaring. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” 

“Well, the port has been destroyed,” he answered, tone unaccusative and as bland as oatmeal. 

Mauve scowled at the man, annoyed with her lack of foresight but easily not dwelling on it. “Then just dock somewhere else!”

“I apologize ma’am, but that’s not possible,” the captain replied, still respectfully avoiding her eyes. He didn’t actually seem very apologetic, his expression calm and detached in that way Mauve usually preferred out of her servants and underlings, but as the captain spoke on, Mauve found herself increasingly irritated with the doll-like lack of concern and reverence. 

The captain gestured towards the window along the far wall. “The stormy conditions make it too dangerous to get close to land, lest we run ashore or into rocks. The dangers would be even worse if you were to try taking a ship’s tender to shore, given its smaller size. 

“We’ve already been taking quite a risk by traveling to and back from the Marine base during such a strong hurricane,” the captain continued calmly. “I’ve communicated with the Marine ships, and they agree that it would be best to run with the storm rather than fight it and stop at Yujo.”

Mauve squinted for a second, not quite understanding what the captain meant by “run with the storm,” but concluded that if it meant not reaching Yujo, it wasn’t what she wanted. 

“Aren’t you and the Marines supposed to be some of the best sailors on these seas?” Mauve waved impatiently. “Figure something out! And don’t come bothering me again until you have!”

The captain’s cheek ticked, but whatever thoughts were going through his head, he wisely withheld them and remained silent. In a moment the man had bowed again and exited the room. 

Once more alone in her quarters, Mauve harrumphed and stepped in front of her vanity mirror. She scowled at the slim hairs that had slipped loose of the tall bun in her hair, considering whether or not to call in a servant to have it fixed, but eventually she twisted her mouth and begrudgingly let the spare hairs be. As much as she hated to present a disheveled appearance, she hated the risk of contaminating herself with the lower peoples’ air even more, and removing her bubble helmet was a surefire way of doing that.

Admittedly, she wouldn’t have denied herself before. The ship certainly wasn’t Marie Geoise, but all the servants still maintained a high standard of cleanliness here so that the Celestial Dragons could remove their bubble helmets without concern. 

But still Mauve… decided… not to. Not with the smell wandering the ship’s halls, the coppery scent tainting places they had no right nor reason to be. 

That same scent which still clung to the tip of her tongue, and which she couldn’t wash off. 

She didn’t hate that, per say. Her father’s blood was honorable, pure and righteous and clean. 

She just wasn’t glad for it either. 

So the helmet stayed. 

Mauve glided over to her lounge and sank into the luxurious cushions, when the special denden mushi that connected to her underlings on Yujo burst into wakeful chatter. The Saint glared petulantly at it, where it sat a few inches out of her comfortably settled hand’s reach, and debated whether or not to bother picking it up. 

The soldiers on Yujo had already called earlier to notify her that The Insect had been apprehended. What could they possibly want to bother her about now?

Could he have escaped?

The possibility brought a scowl to her face, and she summoned a slave with an annoyed bark. 

Quickly it scampered into the room, and at a gesture from Mauve, lifted the denden’s mic level to her mouth. 

“You’d best hope you’re not calling to tell me that The Insect has gotten away,” she growled. 

A brief startlement flitted across the denden’s face, a twitch too quick to catch, before flattening, emptying into neutrality with only a hint of deferential respect in the rounded eyes and expressionless mouth. It could’ve been the captain, or it could’ve been anyone else. Mauve didn’t care. 

_ “No, your majesty, we are not,” _ the caller said.  _ “However, considering the stormy conditions, there is the issue concerning transport.” _

If given even a brief moment, Mauve would’ve noticed the passing unfamiliarity of the speaker’s voice. The smoother tenor and slanted tonality… yet the basic resemblance was enough to have her believe it belonged to the soldier who’d called her before.

Then the annoyance rose up, and she didn’t have time to realize  _ this isn’t the same one _ anymore. “Is this about the port again? I already told them to figure it out!”

“ _ We have, ma’am,” _ the speaker assured her. 

Mauve had to admit to being mildly surprised for a second. Actual competence? For once? How novel. 

She leaned back in her seat and sneered. “Well, then?”

###  .

Sabo half expected things to have gone wrong already. 

Yet a quick lie over the denden, the right amount of veneration, and here she came. The arrogant World Noble, so quick to merrily tromp into a trap. 

He’d think it were funny, if not for the lives depending on his success. 

Sabo turned away from the window—barely anything was visible through the pouring rain anyway, and he’d been using observation haki to track the visitors’ progress—and he nodded at his approacher. “Party of six, not including the Tenryuubito,” he informed Koala, voice subdued. 

His partner nodded in acknowledgement. “Hack just finished his call with Headquarters,” she gave in return. “He's in position and the submarine is ready to set out at any time.” 

“Good.” Sabo breathed out once, then peeled away from the wall, heading for the staircase. “Let’s go.” 

He didn’t need to look in order to feel Koala’s critical stare at his back. “Are we really not going to talk about this?” Her tone held a bit of bite, for all that it was mostly mired in concern. 

“If you wanted to talk about it, you should have brought it up earlier.”

Koala huffed, “I  _ did _ , but  _ you _ cut me off!” and punctuated her statement with a punch to Sabo’s arm, to which the blond yelped in pain. 

“What’s there to talk about?” He groused, rubbing the new bruise on his bicep with a scowl. “So the stakes are higher.  _ Fine _ . But the basic objectives are the same! We’ve done this before, Koala, you don’t need to-”

“That’s  _ not _ what I’m talking about, you dummy!”

Sabo’s mouth fell shut with a click. He looked Koala in the eye, then said tightly, “...I know.” 

Contrary to what was implied in the name, the Revolutionary Army was, in large part, a covert operation. It was “company policy”—so to say—to make sure that only specific events and attacks could be linked back to them, all to ensure the most secure foundation for dismantling and then rebuilding a society. Everything else had to remain under shadow, until the moment they could afford to be known. Thus, every mission came with an automatic priority on secrecy and discretion, which would only be breached by the direst of circumstances. 

In Sabo’s opinion, his comrades’ lives being directly threatened counted as a “direst of circumstance,” but he knew of people in the army who might disagree. No one pledged themselves to the cause without being willing to make sacrifices for it after all, and everyone had a different standard for the term ‘sacrifice.’

But dammit, to preserve a  _ status quo? _ To indulge the embodiment of their  _ enemy? _

That wasn’t something he was willing to sacrifice his people for. 

He’ll deal with them having to put themselves in danger, through pain and trauma, because they have to deal with him doing the same. But he won’t  _ lose _ them  _ forever, _ not for  _ that. _

Sabo exhaled harshly, crossing his arms and looking away. “I can handle myself just fine, if that’s what you’re so worried about,” he told the other Revolutionary cooly. “Whatever needs to come after- I’ll figure it out, as I always do.”

For some reason Koala looked hurt by his statement, a subtle arch in her pursed lips and thin brows. “You say that like you expect to deal with it alone,” she glared. 

Sabo couldn’t help but startle. “You-?”

Koala rolled her eyes. “ _ This _ is why I tell you to listen, Sabo.” Before the blond could grumble a retort, the exasperation in her gaze quickly faded, and Sabo found himself pinned beneath her determined eyes. 

“You can count on me,” his partner said firmly, and the words echoed between them like a promise. “Whatever comes after… I want you to know that I’ve got your back.” 

Sabo stared at her.

It was… a reckless thing to say. They each had responsibilities, after all—loyalties to the Army, to the cause, to their morality—that towered above all things. But where Sabo saw the world’s evils and fought to strike them down, Koala saw its good and fought to see that goodness survive. It’s… how she was. 

Sabo felt a laugh bubbling in his throat, a humor in his own arrogance. 

Yes… Sabo could trust Koala once they were out of here, once he jumps from sizzling pan into blazing fire. 

But he’d known that already, hadn’t he?

The laughter left him quietly, tacit gratitude softening his tongue. “Always stating the obvious, Koala,” he teased, tone small and fond. 

Koala huffed in a familiar show of exasperation. “Just making sure you know. You never listen long enough for me to be sure you do.”

Sabo tipped his hat in agreement. And when he straightened, there was danger in his eyes, something eager and trickster-cold in deep, firewick-blues, because in everything he’d ever done as a Revolutionary, he’d never been stronger nor more dangerous than when his comrades were at his back. “Let’s begin then, shall we?”


End file.
